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Manufacturing engineer lead salary

Quoted expert
Marco Schoen Ph.D.

Average manufacturing engineer lead salary

$88,937

$42.76 hourly rate

Entry-level manufacturing engineer lead salary
$70,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Manufacturing Engineer Lead Salary Overview

As of October 2025, the average salary for a Manufacturing Engineer Lead is approximately $88,937 per year or $43 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on geographic location, experience, and the specific industry. For instance, leads in high-demand areas may earn substantially more due to localized market conditions.

Salary by State

Variations in salary exist across states. States like California and Texas often offer higher pay rates due to the concentration of manufacturing firms and innovative companies. Understanding these regional differences can aid job seekers in negotiating salaries effectively.

Experience Level Impact

Experience plays a crucial role in determining salary. Entry-level positions typically start lower, while those with extensive experience in manufacturing leadership can earn upwards of six figures. Investing in ongoing education and certifications can further enhance career prospects and salary potential.

Finding Job Opportunities

Various platforms, including Zippia, list job openings specifically for Manufacturing Engineer Leads. Tailoring your resume to highlight relevant skills such as project management and process optimization will improve your chances of securing a higher-paying position.

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Where can a Manufacturing Engineer Lead earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
131k
111k
91k
71k
51k
31k
Columbus, OH$112,495
Columbus, IN$61,440
Compare salary by company
Vs
139k
119k
99k
79k
59k
Google$127,973
EZ$88,813

Manufacturing engineer lead salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level manufacturing engineer lead$64,900$31.21
Mid-level manufacturing engineer lead$91,700$44.10
Senior-level manufacturing engineer lead$112,000$53.84

Average manufacturing engineer lead salary by state

The highest-paying states for manufacturing engineers lead are California, New Mexico, and Arizona. The lowest average manufacturing engineer lead salary states are Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for manufacturing engineers lead

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Idaho$97,726$46.98
2New Mexico$102,573$49.31
3California$103,364$49.69
4Arizona$100,941$48.53
5Pennsylvania$87,559$42.10
6Delaware$95,387$45.86
7Massachusetts$91,149$43.82
8Texas$93,771$45.08
9Washington$94,971$45.66
10Alabama$89,246$42.91
11Virginia$95,053$45.70
12Minnesota$85,783$41.24
13Rhode Island$90,006$43.27
14Michigan$81,906$39.38
15Montana$81,952$39.40
16Connecticut$87,449$42.04
17Utah$80,161$38.54
18Maryland$92,222$44.34
19New York$93,499$44.95
20Colorado$87,962$42.29
21Illinois$86,782$41.72
22Wyoming$83,101$39.95
23New Jersey$91,105$43.80
24Mississippi$83,614$40.20
25West Virginia$80,851$38.87
26Oregon$83,969$40.37
27Ohio$75,290$36.20
28Maine$85,154$40.94
29Wisconsin$80,637$38.77
30Nevada$78,088$37.54
31Alaska$80,836$38.86
32District of Columbia$87,820$42.22
33New Hampshire$76,053$36.56
34Nebraska$76,803$36.92
35North Carolina$78,143$37.57
36South Dakota$74,337$35.74
37Florida$81,297$39.09
38Georgia$80,263$38.59
39Louisiana$80,061$38.49
40South Carolina$78,346$37.67
41Kentucky$74,539$35.84
42Arkansas$68,639$33.00
43Vermont$79,485$38.21
44Oklahoma$70,750$34.01
45Kansas$65,126$31.31
46Hawaii$80,537$38.72
47Iowa$73,476$35.33
48Tennessee$72,968$35.08
49Indiana$61,654$29.64
50Missouri$73,478$35.33
51North Dakota$64,617$31.07

Highest paying cities for manufacturing engineers lead

The highest-paying cities for manufacturing engineers lead are San Francisco, CA, Phoenix, AZ, and Everett, WA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$112,495$54.08
2Phoenix, AZ$101,010$48.56
3Everett, WA$95,541$45.93
4Seguin, TX$94,601$45.48
5Somerville, MA$91,160$43.83
6Westminster, CO$87,869$42.24
7Buffalo Grove, IL$87,101$41.88
8Chaska, MN$85,705$41.20
9Bangor, ME$84,252$40.51
10Beaverton, OR$83,774$40.28
11Jacksonville, FL$80,792$38.84
12Midvale, UT$79,837$38.38
13Greenville, NC$79,782$38.36
14Greenville, SC$78,269$37.63
15Las Vegas, NV$77,743$37.38
16Cleveland, OH$76,199$36.63
17Kansas City, MO$73,441$35.31
18Kansas City, KS$65,088$31.29
19Columbus, IN$61,440$29.54

Manufacturing engineer lead salary details

A manufacturing engineer lead's salary ranges from $70,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $112,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average manufacturing engineer lead salary graph
Average manufacturing engineer lead salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a manufacturing engineer lead's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$112,000$9,333$54
75th Percentile$100,000$8,333$48
Average$88,937$7,411$43
25th Percentile$78,000$6,500$38
10th Percentile$70,000$5,833$34

Highest paying manufacturing engineer lead jobs

The highest paying types of manufacturing engineers lead are manufacturing engineering manager, lead design engineer, and project lead engineer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Tool Engineer$101,135$8,428$48.6298,936
Engineer$92,076$7,673$44.27618,207
Project Lead Engineer$106,946$8,912$51.4298,018
Process Engineer$82,443$6,870$39.6466,937
Lead Design Engineer$108,490$9,041$52.16118,073
Design Engineer$77,134$6,428$37.08138,173

How would you rate the starting salaries for manufacturing engineer leads, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Marco Schoen Ph.D.

Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of the Measurement and Control Engineering Research Center (MCERC), Idaho State University

Starting salaries for new engineers have been competitive for many years. Engineers progress on two different pathways: technical and managerial, leading to different pay scales and careers.

Top companies hiring manufacturing engineers lead now:

  1. General Motors jobs (12)
  2. Entegris jobs (7)
  3. Caterpillar jobs (16)
  4. Ford Motor jobs (17)
  5. General Electric jobs (14)

Which companies pay manufacturing engineers lead the most?

Manufacturing engineer lead salaries at Google and Gillette are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average manufacturing engineer lead salary at companies like Nike and Baker Hughes are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Google$127,973$61.53
2Gillette$102,807$49.43
3Nike$102,752$49.40
4Baker Hughes$102,717$49.38
5General Motors$100,372$48.26
6Entegris$98,596$47.40
7P&G$96,221$46.26
8Tesla$95,349$45.84
9Wabtec Corporation$95,260$45.80
10Nikola Motor$94,696$45.53
11BorgWarner$94,390$45.38
12BD$93,286$44.85
13International Trucks$93,023$44.72
14Navistar$92,159$44.31
15General Electric$91,514$44.00
16Burns & McDonnell$91,408$43.95
17PepsiCo$91,294$43.89
18Royal Oak Industries, Inc.$91,125$43.81
19BRP US Inc$89,417$42.99
20EZ$88,813$42.70

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$87,000$86,400$85,800$85,200$84,600$84,000
MaleFemale

Manufacturing Engineer Lead salary by industry

The average manufacturing engineer lead salary varies across industries:

  • The average manufacturing engineer lead salary in the automotive industry is $92,299, the highest of any industry.
  • The average manufacturing engineer lead salary in the finance industry is $85,506.
  • Manufacturing engineers lead in the transportation industry earn an average salary of $80,118, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for manufacturing engineers lead

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Automotive$92,299$44.37
2Technology$85,506$41.11
3Manufacturing$85,173$40.95
4Transportation$80,118$38.52

High paying manufacturing engineer lead jobs

Manufacturing engineer lead salary trends

The average manufacturing engineer lead salary has risen by $11,012 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average manufacturing engineer lead earned $77,925 annually, but today, they earn $88,937 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for manufacturing engineers lead over the last decade.

Compare manufacturing engineer lead salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average manufacturing engineer lead salary over time

Compare manufacturing engineer lead salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Manufacturing engineer lead salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$88,900$42.76+4.2%
2024$85,200$40.96+2.1%
2023$83,400$40.11-0.3%
2022$83,700$40.22-0.1%
2021$83,700$40.24+1.4%

Recently added manufacturing engineer lead salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Maybell Quantum IndustriesLead Manufacturing EngineerDenver, CO06/29/2025$115,000
GE VernovaTech Lead-Manufacturing EngineerRichmond, VA06/28/2025$81,700
GE VernovaManufacturing Engineer & Lean LeaderErlanger, KY06/28/2025$81,700
ActalentLead Manufacturing EngineerHolyoke, MA06/27/2025$120,000
Eaton CorporationLead Manufacturing EngineerGreenwood, SC06/24/2025$93,750
ActalentManufacturing Engineer Lead-Capital ProjectsGreensboro, NC06/20/2025$79,306
Northrop GrummanManufacturing Engineer Lead 4-Night ShiftIuka, MS06/19/2025$102,200
MsccnLead Manufacturing Engineer-Cleveland TNCleveland, TN06/15/2025$83,250
Exodus Integrity ServicesLead Oracle Manufacturing Cloud EngineerBeachwood, OH06/12/2025$150,000
Eaton CorporationLead Manufacturing EngineerCleveland, TN06/11/2025$83,250

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